Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods and the Future of DC – Research Report

The District of Columbia was an early adopter of liberal school choice student assignment policies. The office of the State Superintendent of Education commissioned this study in late 2006 to study how quality public school options can retain and attract families to live in the District of Columbia. Three DC-based organizations — 21st Century School Fund, the Brookings Institution, and the Urban Institute — collaborated to conduct the research.

This research examines all public schools and public school students — District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charters — as part of different education sectors, but as one public education system. The study draws on extensive quantitative analysis of student, school, and neighborhood-level data, focus groups with parents and high school dropouts, and meetings with city stakeholders and officials in the education and housing sectors. It provides and documents the analysis, data tables, and detailed appendices on school supply, student enrollment patterns, and neighborhood characteristics. The analysis was done using a common set of indicators, reported for all schools and students, which allowed for rigorous comparisons across sectors and parts of the City. Finally, this study assesses school conditions and results in the context of housing market and neighborhood trends to understand the interplay between the two policy domains. This research informs a companion policy report, “Quality Schools, Healthy Neighborhoods, and the Future of DC – Policy Report.”